Jose Malave '21 is hitting his stride at the right moment for the Elmira men, as he led the team with 32 kills and 19 digs in United Volleyball Conference (UVC) wins over St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College over the weekend. The victory over the Golden Flyers was of great importance for the Soaring Eagles, as it clinched Elmira's first spot in the UVC Tournament since 2015, and it marked the first time in program history that the Purple and Gold have defeated Naz twice in a season.
The product of San Juan, Puerto Rico, kicked off the tri-match with a season-high 16 kills to go along with 12 digs for his fifth double-double of the year in Elmira's 3-1 triumph against St. John Fisher. In the second contest of the weekend, Malave matched his outstanding performance by again flooring 16 kills, in addition to logging seven more digs. Malave was sensational in the fifth set, as he posted six kills in the frame, many of which helped EC keep a late lead.
With a playoff spot already in the bag, Malave and his teammates will prepare for a UVC tri-match this weekend at Speidel Gymnasium. EC will kick off play on Friday, March 30, with a 5:00 p.m. bout against No. 12 Vassar College, before challenging the 14th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology the following day at 2:30 p.m. A pair of wins at the event will go a long way in helping the Soaring Eagles secure one of the two bye weeks heading into the upcoming UVC Tournament.
